India’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, has discontinued their entry-level hatchback, the Alto 800, from the market. Maruti is now discontinuing the Alto 800 from the market simply because the demand for cars in this segment has come down, and making the engine compliant to the BS6 Phase 2 norms is not financially viable for the manufacturer. The Alto 800 has been one of the most popular small family hatchbacks in the country, and Indian customers heard the name Alto for the first time in the year 2000. Over the years, the manufacturer made cosmetic and mechanical changes to the car. The Alto 800 as we know it now was actually introduced in 2012.
This is not the first time Maruti Suzuki has discontinued their entry-level model from the market. The decision to stop production of the Alto 800 comes almost nine years after the production of their iconic hatchback, the Maruti 800, was stopped. It is not just Maruti Suzuki that is forced to discontinue their small cars due to updated emission norms. The Renault Kwid 800, which was again a popular hatchback in the segment, has also been discontinued. Manufacturers like Datsun and Hyundai have also tried their luck in the segment; however, they did not get much acceptance from customers like Maruti Alto 800 and Renault Kwid.
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The Datsun Redigo and Hyundai Eon were discontinued from the market long ago. Manufacturers have to price these entry-level models competitively to attract customers. To keep costs low, they often resort to cost-cutting methods, and this directly reflects in the final product. Many customers don’t like that and often look for a car from a higher segment. This kept on happening over the years, and demand for 800cc cars in the market kept declining. In the case of Maruti Alto 800, the cost of raw materials and overall production had gone up, forcing them to increase the price of this entry-level model. Alto 800 was an extremely popular hatchback in India, and ever since the introduction of the Alto name in the market, Maruti has sold around 44,50,000 units in the market (this includes Alto, Alto 800 and Alto K10 sales).
With the introduction of updated emission norms, the prices would definitely go up, and putting so much money into a segment where sales are going down did not make sense to the manufacturer, which forced them to stop production. Maruti launched the all-new Alto K10 in the market last year, which will still be available. The Alto K10 will now serve as the entry-level model from Maruti Suzuki in India. The S-Presso is priced just above the K10. Maruti Alto 800 was available with a 799-cc petrol engine, which generated 48 PS and 69 Nm of peak torque. It was even offered with a CNG fuel option. The Alto K10, which is the new entry-level model, is powered by a 998cc, three-cylinder petrol engine generating 66 bhp and 89 Nm of peak torque. The hatchback is available with both 5-speed manual and AMT gearbox. It also comes with CNG fuel options.
With the introduction of BS6 Phase 2 emission norms, it is not just small cars that have been discontinued from the market. The Mahindra Alturas G4, Honda Amaze diesel, Honda WR-V, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20 diesel, Skoda Octavia, and Superb have also been discontinued.
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